Over the last four years Americans have played a sort of parlor game wondering when—or if—the Europeans might awake to the danger of Islamic fascism and choose a more muscular role in the war on terrorism.

In my my recent essay, "Are France And America Allies Again?", I stated that I believe we may have been closer than what was once portrayed, by both medias and to some degree, both governments. I know that many might disagree (my new blog friend Super Frenchie is one) with this assessment. But we must all remember that we as Americans and as French (or other Europeans) are not privy to the most secret of conversations and subsequent deals made by our leaders, when in private. We only have access to the facts and opinions that are made public, usually by way of the news media and more recently by way of the blogosphere.

From there, our opinions are formed. From there, the facts are presented, either accurately or inaccurately. And then, we as free-thinking individuals are free to analyze those facts, sort through the rubbish and discard it, and establish within ourselves some form of opinion, which in turn becomes part of our overall belief system.

So unless a secret fact comes to light, as a result of a leak or a forthcoming change of heart, we only know what we know. And, from all appearances, it looked like Europe was not getting it, and most of it was due to the disagreement on Iraq. But from what we are witnessing from our European counterparts today, is either a complete reversal of philospophy/ideology or it is simply bringing to light, that which, has been kept off of the radar for very specific reasons, up until now.

Imagine a conversation between Bush and Chirac taking place, whereby, Bush explains what he wants to do with Iraq, and why. Chirac tells him that his country cannot support an invasion at this time and the reasons are, the numbers of disaffected Muslims that live in France and how they fear chaos will erupt if that happens. He wants Bush to clearly understand how vulnerable the republic would be, if they openly backed "US imperialism" in a Middle Eastern country. He further explains to the American President that he must overtly criticize the operation and make appearances that he is overtly against it. But covertly, he offers any help that they can, secretly and quietly. (This may account for the Bush Administration's lack of willingness to overtly criticize Chirac or his government, during all of this.)

But now, things are different. Why? Let's read what Mr. Hanson has to say:

The Madrid bombings, the murder of Theo van Gogh, the London subway attacks, and the French rioting in October and November seem to have prompted at least some Europeans at last to question their once hallowed sense of multiculturalism in which Muslim minorities were not asked to assimilate at home and Islamic terrorists abroad were seen as mere militants or extremists rather than enemies bent on destroying the West.

You can now add to that the attacks on the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Syria and we can plainly see that the safe route, the quiet route, was not working and likely will never work. But, in all of this, let's not forget this one point: Whether the Europeans were really on our side in Iraq or not, is not important now. That is the past. The important thing to note is, they certainly appear to be on our side now. In fact, they seem to be taking the lead in the "guts" department, in this cartoon flap. And, they are doing it much more so than the American media or government is willing to do, at this point in time.And we need that right now. We need each other, we (along with Australia) ARE western civilization and our unity against dangerous islamofascists will ultimately determine whether that civilization will survive, or not. It does not matter how and why the Europeans have awakened (or if they were ever asleep), the important thing to note is, a sleeping giant is now awake and wants the enemies of freedom and liberty to know that they are awake. And I, for one, am glad.

This enemy is a threat to ALL civilizations that are not in line with what the radical jihadists believe is right. So, any free nation that permits the exercise of free speech and thought, is vulnerable.

We need to put aside our differences for awhile, defeat this enemy, and argue the merits of capitalism vs, socialism, at a later date.

You are there Frenchie. I had every intention of putting you there, at the first opportunity available.

But in the hectic world in which I live, I often get absorbed in things that are immediately around me. I wish I had more time to blog, I really enjoy it. But it doesn't pay the bills, so as you may surmise, it gets less attention than something that does.

Trust me when I tell you, that I do not do reciprocal links; and blogroll placement is only for those that I feel are intelligent thinking people, people that can discuss issues of importance without resorting to name-calling and insults. People that can argue issues and ideas.

Looking at your blogroll, I see that not just anybody gets that distinction there, either. And for that I am honored that you would put PYY there, and I thank you very much for it.

Welcome, sir. I will be typing up a plug to announce this in the main text area as a post, very soon.

About Me

I am a political independent that belongs to no political party. I base my political ideology solely on principle, and not by daily talking points.
I am a non-denominational Christian that belongs to no church. I have incorporated many different beliefs into my personal theology and rely on no one entity to influence my personal beliefs.
Above all, I am a free thinker and value the right and ability to express my thoughts, without fear and regret.

Comment Policy

All comments are welcome, regardless whether they are in agreement with the opinions expressed here or not. The only rule is that we keep them directed and confined to the argument being made. This means no personal attacks directed towards another poster.

Most of the time, I try to acknowledge comments. But if I do not respond to one, please do not be offended. Sometimes, a comment says it all and there is nothing more I can add to it. Other times, I may be too busy in my real world to respond, appropriately.

Either way, know that all views are welcome. And as always, thank you for reading PYY.